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Europe will face extreme heat waves from 2025 onwards
According to a new study the development is connected to the melting of the ice on Greenland.
A man wades in the Adriatic Sea in Split, Croatia, February 16, 2024. REUTERS/Antonio Bronic
Ten of the driest and hottest summers in Europe in the last 40 years have come amid the release of massive amounts of fresh water from the melting of the Greenland ice sheet, according to a study published in the journal Weather and Climate Dynamics, by to a group of researchers from the National Oceanographic Institution in Southampton, UK.
The melted fresh water affects ocean currents
It is more than a coincidence, experts say. In fact, the large amount of fresh water affects ocean currents, and this amplifies climate anomalies in Europe. Fresh water stretches in the south and north of the Atlantic, and salt water is pushed deep. As a consequence of this phenomenon, the water surface temperature becomes much higher than normal.
The years 2018 and 2020 are the most eloquent, according to the mentioned study. There were years when Europe faced some of the worst wildfires and temperatures in excess of 40 degrees Celsius during the summer.
The heat waves will increase in the future
The problem is that such phenomena will not only become common but will increase in the near future. And from the past examples, it can be clearly seen that heat waves have reached values far beyond those provided by climate models. The authors of the study believe that if their predictions prove correct, the year 2025 will bring an unprecedented heat wave. One that will initially affect northern Europe, then the rest of the continent.
